


Warning

by imtoolazytothinkofausername



Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz
Genre: Angst, Gen, coparenting au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27719605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imtoolazytothinkofausername/pseuds/imtoolazytothinkofausername
Summary: Sequel to "Irrevocably Lost." Ian comes to Moscow in search of either his nephew or his nephew's murderers, but he ends up being kidnapped by a man he thought was dead.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 51





	Warning

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Alex Rider or affiliated characters, and this was not written for profit.

It was a bucket of ice-cold water being thrown in his face that woke Ian up. He gasped at the shock and looked around the room, too disoriented to truly take in his surroundings. When he was able to calm himself, his eyes focused on the only person in the room (cellar?) with him. 

“Yassen.” He greeted the man in clipped tones. “I was under the impression you were dead.” 

The assassin sitting in the chair across from him merely shrugged. “Until about a year ago, I thought the same of you.” 

“And now that you know otherwise you’ve come to finish the job.” Ian tugged experimentally at the chains that bound him to the chair and ran his hands over what parts of them he could reach. No give. And he didn’t have anything that could be used as a pick. 

Ian hadn’t been on a mission, or not an official one anyway. It had been 13 months since his nephew had walked out on him during their reunion. Ian had been shaken by just how wrong he’d been. He couldn’t deny that he’d betrayed Alex. Ian had known that Alex would need time to think things through and that Ian would be lucky if Alex ever talked to him again. He had spent the subsequent days wondering how he could possibly repair his relationship with his nephew. Then, days after that dinner, Mrs. Jones had called Ian down to the bank to inform him that there was no relationship left to prepare and that Ian’s last living family member had died. Alex had been living with the man who had accompanied him to the restaurant, Agent Daniels. Daniels’s house had burned down. The fire had been so bad that there was little left of the house. Bodies had been found, but they were too badly burned to identify. 

Ian had been a shitty uncle. He knew that now. Various nannies and then finally Jack had been the ones to truly raise Alex. He’d used Alex as a cover on more than a few missions, all the while training Alex for a life that John had never wanted for his son. Ian had never intended for Alex to be recruited by MI6 when he was quite so young, but he’d gone along with Alan Blunt’s plans for the boy once Blunt had made that decision. Ian had let Alex grieve and suffer things that no child should ever experience. But despite all that, Ian did love his nephew. Maybe it was a selfish love, one that wasn’t entirely unconditional, but this was his brother’s son. The child that Ian had watched grow up. The news of Alex’s death had quite literally brought Ian to his knees. He’d been a wreck for weeks afterward. The only thing that had rallied him was the news that the fire was undoubtedly arson. 

Even though Jones had said that the organization was destroyed, Ian’s mind leapt to Scorpia. He’d already lost a brother to them. Had he lost a nephew to them too? Or, Ian wasn’t sure whether he should hope for this or not, had Alex survived? Had the bodies been a decoy? God knew there’d been more than one case where an agent had been marked dead only to be found elsewhere later (some dead, others alive), some enemy having had their own reason for not wanting MI6’s involvement. Ian had started chasing down any lead he could find. His purpose was simple. If Alex was dead, Ian would kill his murderers. If Alex was alive, Ian would find his nephew and kill his kidnappers. He owed that much to Alex at least. He’d traveled to town after town, country after country, and he hadn’t found anything that led him any closer to finding out what had happened to Alex. But this last lead, nothing more than a rumor of some kid who’d taken down an entire gang in Moscow, must have some truth to it because all Ian could remember was getting into the car at Sheremetyevo Alexander S. Pushkin International Airport, going to start the ignition...and suddenly feeling dizzy. He must be close if it led to Yassen making himself known before Ian could even talk to a single person about the story. Whether he’d live to get any closer, though... 

But Yassen shook his head. “No, Ian. I didn’t bring you here to kill you. I brought you here because we need to talk.” 

“So, talk. I’m not going anywhere.” 

“You need to stop looking for Alex, Ian. I believe he made it clear that he doesn’t want to see you, and I need you to respect his wishes.” The words were spoken in a casual tone, as though Yassen was stating a commonly known fact. 

“Alex...” It took Ian a moment to process what Yassen had said. “He’s alive...” Ian had hoped, of course. Known it was a possibility. Yet it wasn’t until this moment that Ian realized he hadn’t truly thought he’d ever see his nephew again. “You know where he is.” 

“Of course. How do you think he’s been able to hide for this long without MI6 realizing he's alive?” 

This was a new development and one about which Ian didn’t know how to feel. He and Yassen had run into each other several times over the years. Enough for Ian to know that Yassen had been devoted to John. In the early days after John’s death, the two had bonded over their grief, sharing more than a few drinks and even a bed occasionally. They would avoid one another on missions if they could and allow the other to escape when possible. Ian had always known that their truce was built on a mutual love for John rather than for each other. Ian had heard that Yassen had saved Alex’s life more than once, even taking a bullet for the boy. Clearly, Yassen’s love for John was enough for him to protect Alex when possible. Ian didn’t believe Yassen would willingly hurt Alex, but if Scorpia was involved... 

“And...are you working for anyone?” 

The corners of Yassen’s mouth twitched into a smile. “No, Ian. I’m...semi-retired. I still take jobs now and then, but for the most part I live a fairly normal life. No. I helped Alex get out because he asked me to do so.” 

The agent digested this. He was inclined to believe Yassen that he wasn’t working for anyone. The man had no reason to lie, especially since Ian was entirely under the assassin’s control. But if what Yassen said was true, that meant that Alex and Yassen had a much closer association than Ian had been lead to believe. Alex had “died” within mere days of reuniting with Ian. To not only have a way to contact Yassen but to have the man come so quickly...there was no way that MI6 knew about this. And Alex had asked for Yassen’s help... 

Ian knew he didn’t have a right to be hurt. It was fair enough that Alex left Ian to grieve after everything Ian had done, but that still felt like a punch in the gut. 

“I...I thought he was dead. Or...maybe kidnapped. I didn’t think...” 

“I know.” There was no sympathy in Yassen’s voice. “We needed to make it look realistic. Otherwise, MI6 could have made things very complicated.” 

“And by ‘we’ I suppose you mean you and Agent Daniels?” Ian laughed humorlessly. He could remember the way Alex had looked to Daniels for support in the restaurant. It had only been a brief moment, but it had been more than enough to tell him that Alex wouldn’t have agreed to a plan that involved Daniels actually dying. “How does he fit into this?” 

“You don’t need to know that, Ian. All you need to know is that Alex is safe and happy and that he doesn’t want to see you.” 

“And how do I know he _is_ safe?” Ian asked. “All I have is your word for it.” 

A glint of anger flashed in Yassen’s eyes. “Between the two of us, I’ve done a much better job at keeping him safe, so it’s my word you’ll be taking.” He paused before continuing in a calmer tone. “I told Alex that you were looking for him and that you were a threat. He asked me not to kill you, but he also didn’t want to talk to you. Alex is incredibly strong. I would have taken him out of MI6’s grasp anytime, and he knew that, but he wanted to stay. He wanted to hold on to what was left of his old life, and he didn’t want to have to take on an entirely new identity. Finding out that you and MI6 had lied to him about one of the few things he thought he knew was the final straw. He asked me to get him out. He never wanted to be a spy, but he also knows that he will never be able to have a normal life. You did that to him, Ian. Nevertheless, he wants to start over, and he doesn’t want to do it with you.” 

Ian wanted to protest. He wanted to explain that the reports he’d received hadn’t been thorough. But he knew there was no true excuse. He’d placed his nephew in danger several times over the years, and he’d allowed MI6 to do the same. “What do you want me to do?” He asked quietly. 

Yassen narrowed his eyes, examining Ian as if he had expected a different reaction. “I want you to leave. That part is out of your control. When we finish, I am going to drug you, and you’ll wake up on a plane back to England. I want you to forget everything you may have learned about Alex’s whereabouts, and if MI6 asks you about him or about what happened here, I want you to lie to them. Tell them that you have no reason to believe that Alex died in the fire. If I find that you’re looking for Alex again, I will kill you. I’d rather not. Not out of fondness for you. I _did_ regret having to kill you the first time. I would have been somewhat relieved to know you'd survived. But that was before I knew what you’d done to John’s son. Now, I would regret killing you because I don’t know how Alex would react. Nevertheless, if you were to continue looking for him, I would need to place his safety first. Do you understand, Ian? This will be your only warning.” 

After a long moment, Ian nodded. “I understand. But I want Alex to tell me himself.”

“I told you. He doesn’t-” 

“I have only your word for it that he’s safe and that he asked you to do this. You’re an assassin with ties to the organization who murdered his parents and tried to kill Alex. Were our positions reversed, would you take my word for it?” 

There was a long moment where Yassen simply looked at him inscrutably. Ian let him think it over. After all, Yassen had the upperhand. Finally, Yassen rose from the chair and pulled out a phone. He dialed a number, and when the other person answered, Yassen spoke to them in Russian. Ian didn’t understand what Yassen was saying, but he could hear his name and the word “Sascha” being repeated. After several minutes, though, Yassen approached Ian and pressed the phone to Ian’s ear. 

“It’s Alex.” Yassen explained. “He says he’ll talk to you.” 

“Alex?” Ian asked, heart pounding at the thought of speaking to his nephew after so long, after he’d thought he’d never talk to him again. 

“Ian.” Alex’s voice wasn’t as cold or as angry as it had been the last time they’d talked, but it also didn’t hold any warmth. 

“Oh, thank God, Alex. I thought you were dead.” 

“I know. That was what I wanted you to think.” 

There was an accusation behind that, and it stung, but Ian continued. “Are you alright? Are you safe?” 

“I’m fine, Ian. I’m out of MI6’s reach for the first time in years. I have something that’s close to a normal life, and I’m happy.” _Without you,_ were the unspoken words. “I want it to stay this way.” 

“Alex, I’m so sorry. I know that I hurt you and that I failed-”

“I don’t want to hear apologies right now, Ian. I can’t...I don’t want to see you or hear from you again.” 

It took everything Ian had not to argue with this, but he knew that there was nothing he could say to convince Alex to change his mind. Maybe someday Alex would want to see him again, if only to vent and blame him, but if Ian pushed now, Alex would hang up. “I...I understand. I’m sorry, Alex. I love you. I hope you...I hope you can have a better life.” 

The silence stretched for several seconds, then Alex said, “Goodbye, Ian.” 

“Goodbye, Alex.” He nodded at Yassen. 

The assassin took the phone away, exchanged a few words, and then hung up. “Well?” 

“I won’t bother Alex again.” Ian conceded in a defeated tone. “I’ll go back to England, and I won’t come looking for him again.” There was nothing else he could do. This was what Alex wanted, and Ian couldn’t blame him. 

Yassen nodded approvingly. “It’s for the best, Ian. I can promise you that we’ll do everything in our power to keep Alex safe. It will be easier now that he’s not with MI6.” It was the closest thing to a consolation that Ian was likely to get. The man walked past Ian, and Ian could hear him rummaging in something before approaching Ian from behind. 

Ian barely felt the needle, but the effects were nearly instantaneous. He tried to fight it, more on instinct than because he thought that he’d be able to stay awake. But of course it was useless. The next thing Ian knew, he was waking up to the feeling of turbulence on a plane. He’d never know how Yassen managed to get him on the flight, although to be fair, Ian didn’t investigate the matter. It wasn’t important. All that Ian cared about was that he’d lost his last remaining family member to this world and all he had left was his job. 


End file.
